King Christian IV of Denmark, etc., in his capacity as Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, and Dithmarschen, grants the Ashkenazi Jews in Altona a Letter of Protection and confirms the privileges individually listed [“General Privilege”]

Source Description

Numerous handwritten copies of this document have been preserved in the
State Archives of
Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg in addition to
contemporary printed versions and excerpts from the 17th and 18th centuries.
This alone testifies to its significance. Both the official original of this
“General Privilege”—which would have been given to the Jewish congregation in
Altona and its legal successor, the “triple congregation” of Altona,
Hamburg, and WandsbekDreigemeinde formed in
1671—and the official record as an entry in the
registry of the district of Pinneberg are no
longer existant.

The articles—eleven altogether—ensure the following rights, among others: the
congregation was to be allowed to worship in their synagogue according to
the Jewish tradition and to bury their dead in their cemetery in keeping
with their customs. Those who perform ritual duties within the community
like rabbis,
cantors, and beadles were
exempted from the protection money because it was implicitly assumed that
they could not practice a commercial trade. Similarly, the children of those
who paid the protection money were exempted from payment as long as they
resided in their father’s house, even if they were married. The Jews were
permitted to participate in commercial trade and in the kosher slaughter of
animals. They were permitted to lend money or act as
pawnbrokers at a rate of 27% interest per week—more
than twice the previous limit. The sale of pawned items was permitted after
a period of one year, provided that they met certain conditions and notified
the Vogt [bailiff] in
Ottensen. Further legal limitations applied to what they could
accept as a deposit. It was important, however, that they were permitted to
amicably resolve minor differences before the rabbinical court without the
involvement of the Vogt from Ottensen. Their
right to exert punishments, however, was quite limited; the only significant
disciplinary method at their disposal was the threat of excommunication. In
addition, according to article ten they were obligated to maintain the
peace, which included the punctual payment of the protection money (at
Easter). Finally, it was not permitted to lodge foreign Jews (i.e. from
outside the community) for longer than fourteen days.